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The church of St. Ponziano, built outside the medieval city walls of Spoleto and close to the paleochristian temple of St. Salvatore, is considered one of the most interesting examples of romanesque architecture in central Italy. It belonged to a benedictine abbey and was dedicated to the patron saint of Spoleto, martyred during the persecution[...]

A few nights ago, as he ate a lemon slowly bite by bite, my son unintentionally swallowed a seed along with the fruit of the lemon, and then exclaimed soon thereafter: “That’s okay, all it means is that I will grow the tree of life in my stomach!” (Va bene, vorrà dire che mi crescerà[...]

The female protagonist of the double scene of April, carved by Giovanni and Nicola Pisano in the lower basin of the Main Fountain of Perugia, holds a floral wreath and a bouquet of flowers in her hands.
There is no doubt of her identity as uxor (wife in Latin), as it’s clearly written in stone, in[...]

It seems that our custom to exchange gifts during Christmas comes from some ancient traditions practiced at the Saturnalia, one of the most popular holidays in the Roman calendar.
The Saturnalia festival, that in later centuries would change into the Brumalia festival (from bruma, winter solstice), represented an occasion for visiting friends and presenting gifts,[...]